Waiting
by Spifiliator
Summary: FFIV--Ridiculous, but cute sequel to Heartsick. More cheesey, friendship and romantic stuff between my favorite video game characters ever!


**Waiting**

(A ridiculous sequel to Heartsick)

_About 2½ hours later…_

"Hmmm," she mumbled. "I should go."

"Hmmmm, no you shouldn't." Cecil tightened his grip around Rosa. "Just stay. We still have a few more minutes." He motioned to the hourglass Rydia had charmed to help them partition the night watch intervals. The red sand layer had nearly passed to the blue indicating Cecil's three hour stint was coming to an end.

"No, no." Rosa struggled mildly in his arms. "I really ought to return to bed before somebody catches us."

"Why," he said teasingly. "Worried about a royal scandal? Or just a voyeuristic ninja?" She giggled, as she twisted out from under Cecil's arm and lifted herself from the flattened rocks near the campfire. Cecil took both of her hands when she turned back to him. She leaned forward, and rested her forehead against his.

"Goodnight, my love. I will see you again in mere hours." She leaned in to kiss him farewell, but when she tried to pull away, Cecil leaned backward and pulled her arms forward. She fell into him. Cecil quickly lay flat to pad her landing, and Rosa found herself lying on top of him without leverage to get up since he still had her hands in his. She gasped loudly, partly in shock from the fall, and partly in shock from the power of her body's response to their suggestive position. "Cecil, I really need to go now. This is…"

Gruffly, Cecil replied, "This is what? Truly improper?" He, too, required a moment to let out a breath. Calmer he said, "Just give me this. Just give me one more moment, please." His eyes wide and pleading, he moved in for one more kiss. Unable to fight his gaze or the desire coursing through her body, Rosa allowed his movement. Their kiss became intense very fast, something more passionate and dangerous than either had experienced together before.

_I have to stop, I have to_. Cecil gradually willed himself to slow the kiss. It was incredibly difficult, but Rosa followed his lead. The kiss, eventually, broke. Rosa, breathing hard, slid her head down and laid it on Cecil's chest. His heartbeat raced below her cheek, and she turned her head to kiss the pulsating area of his chest. A quiet cough sounded, and Rosa looked over Cecil's shoulder to see Edge. He was staring at the cave ceiling in an attempt to give the couple privacy.

Rosa's breath caught, "Oh!" _Well, at least it wasn't Kain!_ She struggled to extricate herself from the compromising situation.

Edge snagged a glance at the comedy playing out in front of him. _Hmm, every piece of her is clothing intact, disheveled but intact. Cecil, I don't know whether to admire your restraint or laugh at the fool who missed a glorious opportunity._

Both members of the guilty party were now standing, and Edge stepped around them to stir the dying campfire. He overheard Rosa whisper, "I love you, but I'll get you for this later." Louder she said, "Goodnight Edge."

"Goodnight, my lady." His respectful acknowledgement caught her off guard. _Not what I expected. He must be saving his irony for later. Oh well, I'll deal with it then._ With one more glance at Cecil, she hurried off to her tent.

Edge turned his attention to Cecil. He was watching Rosa scurry away, longing evident in his eyes. "You, Cecil Harvey, have _extraordinary_ self control."

Cecil explosively exhaled. Turning toward the ninja, he said flatly, "You don't even know the half of it, my friend."

_He's been waiting for her!_ _In all my years I've never had to wait for anything, besides vengeance! _Edge felt a pang of empathy for his perturbed companion. _I may not be as patient a man, but I am still a man familiar with Cecil's current, uh, frustration._

Edge bent over and scooped up Cecil's sheathed sword. "Here, take this." He tossed the scabbard carefully in Cecil's direction, and Cecil deftly caught it. Motioning past the fire, Edge asked, "Do you see the three tunnels up ahead?" Cecil nodded. "Take the last tunnel on the left. It's very dark, but the rocks are flat and smooth. Less than five hundred paces in, the tunnel brightens. Keep moving forward and it ends in an abandoned monster dwelling. It's naturally lit from whatever bioluminescent secretions the monsters left behind. An underground stream also surfaces in this cave. The water is clean, fresh, and _very cold_." Edge emphasized the last statement, some of his sarcastic nature returning.

Cecil started to move forward, but stopped abruptly. "Wait a sec. How in the world did you find this cave? You only just came out on watch." Edge's are-you-kidding-me stare mollified Cecil. _Oh crud, I'm a moron!_

"Ignoring the fact of my superior ninja skills, you and Rosa were so fully involved you wouldn't have noticed a herd of raging Chocobos stampeding our camp."

_Some leader I am!_ "My apologies, Edge. I shouldn't have let pleasure distract me from my responsibilities. I will apologize to everyone in the morning."

Thinking back to Rosa's promise to "get him later" Edge smirked. _Damn this man's honor! He's in enough hot water as it is!_ He chuckled and said, "Cecil, let it go." He motioned toward Rosa's tent. "You'll have enough to atone for on the morrow." Cecil's head bowed, the reality of Edge's statement setting in. "Go Cecil. Go and clear your head."

Cecil took off, and Edge went about the business of preparing for watch. Walking the perimeter he stopped near each tent to listen within. Kain slept on, seemingly oblivious the activities in camp. Rustling in the women's tent indicated Rosa was having trouble settling down to sleep. Everything else surrounding the camp seemed in order, so Edge made his way back to the fire. Staring at the flames, Edge settled into a meditative pose and began his shift.

***

"What in King Giott's beard is going on over there," Rydia hissed in frustration. "Can't you just sleep already?"

"Sorry Rydia. I just can't get comfortable right now!" _This is insane. I thought only men had to deal with this! Wait a second…_"Rydia, what are you doing here? I thought you'd be skulking outside about now."

Despite herself, Rydia blushed in the darkness, but she recovered and dryly admonished, "Nice try, honey. You are so _not_ deflecting and making this about me. What is going on?"

"I really can't sleep. Honestly, I have never spent that much time alone with Cecil." Rydia snorted in disbelief. "No, I'm serious! I know we've been together for many years, but timing has always been an issue. We've been waiting for each other for a very long time. Tonight, well, it's embarrassing, but tonight reminded me just how long we've been waiting."

"Oh." Rydia didn't get it.

"Just take your stomach butterflies and morph them into Giant Cave Bats. That might give you something to base my discomfort on."

"Ooooh." Rydia got it.

"I am sorry I am keeping you up. Could you maybe cast a modified sleep spell to help me relax? I don't know what else to do!"

"Well I don't know Rosa. I'm not sure that spell is really safe for human metabolism. It's specifically designed to deregulate melatonin in the…"

Tuning out Rydia's knowledge recital, Rosa fumbled in the pack next to her pillow. "Shush already. Here take this. If anything goes wrong, just make me take it." She tossed Rydia a Remedy. "It'll be fine. You want to get some sleep don't you?"

Rydia couldn't argue that point. "All right, just give me a second to map this out." Channeling a small fireball in the palm of her hand, Rydia reached into her own pack and pulled out a spell book. After consulting a few pages, she said, "Okay, this should work. But if anything goes wrong, I will be administering this." She held up a syringe and filled it with the Remedy solution. "Oh, and whatever happens, you are NOT allowed to tell Cecil I did this for you. I am already not in favor of this, and I absolutely don't want to deal with him too. Promise?"

"I promise. Thanks Rydia." Rosa snuggled down into her blankets as Rydia began her incantation. In no time Rosa relaxed completely and fell into a deep sleep. Rydia sat up watching for any odd reactions to the spell. Quietly she repacked her spell book, and after a few minutes decided she would try to go back to sleep. Just as she settled down into her bedding however, Rosa emitted the most alarming snort. Startled Rydia scrambled to Rosa's side expecting to see some filthy wart-covered monster in her place. It was just dainty, precious Rosa, completely asleep and completely oblivious to her sound effects. Rydia tried to block out the noise, burying her head in her blankets, but it was no use. Rosa's magic-induced snoring was an abomination. Gradually it became loud enough to draw concern from Edge.

He stood outside the tent and whispered, "Ladies, is everything all right."

"I can't hear you over this infernal noise," whisper-yelled a very cranky Rydia.

"What?"

_Ah forget it!_ Rydia fiddled with the tent flap and crawled out of the sleeping area. Clad only in her sleeping clothes, she quickly reached behind into the tent and retrieved a blanket for coverage. While standing she wrapped herself in her makeshift cloak and said to Edge, "I can't hear you over that infernal noise." She motioned backwards into the tent.

Edge's eyes bugged a little. "You mean that's Rosa?"

"Yep." Rydia walked toward the fire to sit down and stay warm.

_Interesting evening, thus far._ "So, explain something to me, Rydia. I've been traveling with you for weeks and I have never heard anything of that nature emitted from your tent. What is going on tonight?" Rydia suddenly looked guilty. Edge decided to let her guilt lead her to a confession, so he stayed quiet.

"Oh fine!" Rydia crossed her arms over her chest. "So I guess Rosa and Cecil spent some really good time together this evening."

"Really good huh? Just how good?"

"I don't know. Good girls don't kiss and tell, you disrespectful toad!"

"Believe me, my dear, if you walked in on the scene I did this evening, you wouldn't apply the terms 'Rosa' and 'good girl' in the same sentence." Rydia's eyes widened with a touch of surprise and a lot of curiosity. "So, continue. _You_ are feeling guilty about Rosa's indiscretion because?"

"So, she was all bothered in there, and she woke me up with her incessant fidgeting. We talked for a second and then she asked me, _against my better judgment_, to cast a sleeping spell on her. I told her it was a bad idea—those spells aren't meant for humans. Well, humans that you LIKE anyway. Now she's sawing logs like a beast, and I'm the one who can't sleep!" She scowled to emphasize her frustration, and Edge, of course, chuckled.

That only deepened and redirected her angry expression. "Yes laugh at me, please. When was the last time _you_ tried to help out a friend?" Smiling to himself he thought about Cecil and his improvised cold shower. Instead of bringing up Cecil's humiliation, however, he chose the silent path and sat down across the fire from Rydia. Rydia remained silent, contemplating her current ire, and Edge used to time to take in the scenery. The view from across the fire was lovely.

_Firelight truly brings out a unique gleam in her green hair. And the extraordinary shine in her eyes…what a terrible crime it is that they are most striking when she is agitated. Then again, there are many, many type of agitation!_ His thoughts momentarily took a sensual turn, and Rydia must have noticed his examination as well as the shift in his expression. _My, what's this? A blush? I wonder…_ Edge continued to stare at Rydia. The longer he stared, the deeper her cheeks stained red until he didn't think any further color change would be possible! _So, the fire angel is not immune to my charm. This could be interesting…_

Perhaps it could have been, but the mystery would have to wait. A horrendous snort issued from Rosa's sleeping quarters, even disturbing Kain. After a few indiscernible mumbles, he seemed to return to sleep. Rosa on the other hand kept at it, each snore getting louder and louder. _Oh great, I am so busted!_ Rydia's blush had faded, but she was definitely still agitated. She looked at Edge helplessly. "Edge, Cecil's going to kill me. Rosa promised she wouldn't tell him it was my spell if anything went wrong. Well, it looks like he's going to find out anyway. Thanks Rosa."

"Cecil isn't in camp right now." Visible relief flooded her face (and to Edge's dismay, removed her charming blush), and before she could ask further questions, Edge explained, "He, like Rosa, needed some time to cool off. I offered him a suggestion, and he took it." Edge stood and walked away to accomplish another perimeter sweep.

Rydia on the other hand remained at the fire, deep in thought. _So that buys some time. How am I going to silence Rosa before Cecil returns? I just need to think._ She smacked her hands over her eyes. _Aye! I mean I just need to think about something besides Edge's fathomless eyes. Just what was going on in that head of his? _She smacked herself again. _FOCUS!_

To her credit, when Edge returned, Rydia was all business. He caught her rummaging through the cooking supplies. Feeling dangerous and a bit curious, he crept up behind her apparently distracted form.

Without missing a beat, Rydia said, "Here, hold this." She thrust the handle of pot into his hand. "Fill it halfway with water, and put it on the fire please." _Hmm, she's good, but even better, she knows I am here. Nice._ He carried out her orders, and when he was finished, instead of resuming his original perch on the other side of the fire, he sat beside her.

"So, what are we cooking?" he asked conversationally.

"It's an herbal cold remedy. It dilates breathing passages, so maybe it will help." She didn't sound very convinced. "We don't have all the ingredients here, so I had to improvise."

"I am curious." Edge commented as a pleasant, calming scent drifted up from the flames. "As a black mage I didn't realize you would possess such medicinal knowledge. Who taught you potion making and status spell modification?"

"I don't know too much," she responded honestly, "but you can't travel with Rosa and not learn some of these techniques. I had some friends in the Feymarch too who taught me some specialty skills. Mostly I know what I know from my mother. She believed in a well rounded education, and truthfully, I thought I would learn more about both White and Black Magic for a time. It was what my mom hoped for me. While in the Feymarch, however, it became evident that my true skills lie in Calling and Black Magic." Rydia stopped and paused reflectively.

Edge, caught up in her voice, found himself _waiting_ for her to continue. _Phew, this must be some potion!_

She did. "I don't regret my choices, especially now as my talents are needed. I hope that I didn't disappoint my mother though, wherever she may be watching from."

_No, I was wrong. Her eyes are lovely when she's mellow too. I wonder if..._ Certain of rebuke, but unable to resist the challenge, Edge made a slick attempt to place an arm around the woman beside him. She of course was too aware of his presence to give him any leeway. Still when she repositioned herself to avoid contact by facing him, he continued his arm's motion until his hand rested lightly on her cheek. His fingers drifted slowly until a few of them rested beside the corner of her lower lip. "Rydia, no one could find fault with you."

Something very nearly like fear crossed Rydia's eyes, and Edge dropped his hand from her face. _She's not ready yet…Blast!_ Hiding from his _faux pas_ he looked forward, and said, "You mustn't ever doubt yourself, your choices, or your gifts." Looking back into Rydia's eyes he admitted, "That was advice from my mother." And finally, putting the normal Edge façade back in place he said, "So here _I_ am." He winked.

Rydia rolled her eyes. Edge had completely diffused her emotions with his final remark, and she felt surprisingly normal. There were no butterflies at the moment. In fact, she thought she might be able to sleep. _Speaking of sleep._ Her breath caught. "Edge, listen!" Reflexively she gripped his arm. "I think it worked."

Crackling flames from the fire aside, the camp was at peace. No more foul snoring wracked the night. _By my ancestors lands we're lucky we didn't attract every cave-dwelling monster to our location tonight!_ He glanced down at his arm where Rydia still held on in celebration. _It would have been worth it anyhow!_

He was smiling when Rydia looked up. "What?" she inquired.

"Nothing." He took a deep refreshing breath. The air still carried hints of Rydia's fragrant potion. "Just enjoying the quiet." _And the company._

"Me too. Actually, I think I should take advantage of it and get back to bed before anymore weird stuff happens!" She giggled.

He grinned too. "Yes, you probably should. I will clean up the potion before Kain relieves me." As an afterthought he added, "And before Cecil returns and wonders what transpired in his absence!"

_Oh my. I totally forgot about him!_ Appreciatively, Rydia said, "Thank you, Edge," but suddenly she felt awkward. Standing before him, she thought back to her earlier conversation with Rosa and remembered the words "even if I did, I wouldn't know how anyway." _Yep, that's about it. I have no clue what I'm doing._ So instead of embarrassing herself, she said "Good night," and with a smile, made for the tent.

Edge had a much better idea of how to end an evening gracefully. He caught her hand as she turned away and elegantly (and rather lingeringly!) kissed its dainty ring finger between the knuckle and the first joint. She blushed again, and he said, "Good night, my lady." _Hah, so her eyes alight when she is happy too—shame on me for failing to notice sooner! _Rydia slipped to off to bed, and Edge watched her contemplatively. _Perhaps there are things worth waiting for after all._

The thought stayed with him as he sat out the rest of comparatively uneventful his shift. Cecil returned from his quiet time right as Kain stepped out of the tent. A suspicious expression on his face, he acknowledged the men with a nod and began a perimeter sweep before starting his shift. Cecil and Edge shrugged, threw each other a conspiratorial glance, and figured it was past time to go to bed.


End file.
